Had an excellent time. Finally caught up with Ben Templesmith, after much exchanging of email. Also, finally got to have a good chat with Marianne de Pierres (which I can't believe hasn't happened sooner).

And then of course there were the 'drawcards' - Supernatural heart-throb Jared Padalecki and Firefly/Serenity/Stargate Atlantis star Jewel Staite.

It was an interesting experience for an 'outsider' (ie, someone who has never seen any of these shows).

And I can really see how events such as Supanova work in terms of pulling in new fans - I left on Sunday feeling quite overwhelmed, knowing that there's about a billion hours of TV/movies/comics that I need to catch up on.

Speaking of catching up, I met up with Stuart McKenny, who I used to work with ages ago at Quest Newspapers. At the time he was trying to break through into comics. It was excellent to see he has done just that.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Had an excellent time today at the One Book Many Brisbanes 3 launch at City Hall.

It was a great opportunity to meet some people I've been swapping emails with since finding out I was one of the winners, although it would have been good to have more time to chat with the other authors.

Check out the Flickr photo pool here. (If you were at the launch and took photos and don't mind sharing them, please join the group and upload your photos).

There's a possibility some of the authors might be appearing at a local library near you soon, so if I can I'll definitely be getting involved in that -- I'd love to hear some of the stories behind the stories.

Speaking of which, you can now read all of the stories (including "Untethered") here.

You can find out how to buy the book here, or alternatively borrow it from your local library.

The really good news is that Brisbane City Council is going to run the competition again next year.

I would strongly recommend that if you're a writer, you enter. I never thought I would win. I entered because, frankly, with a $6,000 prize, how could I not enter. And look what happened.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Finally, I get to reveal where all my spare time has been going lately:

Western Australian publisher Brimstone Press is proud to announce the launch of a major new national magazine - aptly titled BLACK: Australian Dark Culture - that exposes Australia's attraction to the dark side.

BLACK editor-in-chief Angela Challis describes the magazine as a revelation and one of the few genuinely new offerings at news stands.

"Crime dramas are the most popular shows on TV, horror movies are flooding video stores, and paranormal books are incredibly popular," she said.

"Everyone is drawn to the dark side … and there is clearly a demand for dark-themed entertainment, but until now, there has not been a publication that caters to the enjoyment of all things dark. BLACK will fill this expanding and increasingly popular niche."

BLACK managing editor and political reporter Shane Jiraiya Cummings views the magazine as a vehicle to explore the darker side of the human spirit, as well as pop culture and entertainment.

"Almost everyone loves the villain, and BLACK caters for that, but dark culture is more than just scary movies and brooding anti-heroes," he said.

"BLACK addresses serious social issues that many consider taboo like alternative lifestyles, euthanasia, and political censorship – such as China's ban on supernatural movies and literature in the lead-up to the Olympics, which we're covering in our launch issue."

The launch issue features:

* Heath Ledger as The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie The DarkKnight: the fateful role that may have led to his death.* M. Night Shyamalan on his new movie The Happening.* China's Olympic ghost ban.* Stephen King's Dark Tower series.* A glimpse into life as a dominatrix.* A tour throughBrisbane's necropolis.* Interviews with Australian authors Robert Hood, Marty Young, and Nathan Burrage.* … and an AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE! – A new short story by STEPHEN KING (from his upcoming book Just After Sunset).* Plus competitions, news, fiction, opinion pieces, and an extensive HorrorScope review section!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

For one reason and another (more on this soon) I haven't had much time for my fiction lately.

Then, last night and tonight, I've found enough time to write a whole chapter of Number 13, the crime thriller I'm working on with British writer Mark Wagstaff and fellow Brisbanite Damon Cavalchini.

I find when time is scare it really gets to me, it's like an itch I can't scratch. And then when I finally find some time to write, it's like a soothing balm. (Okay, enough with the bad metaphors).

On the Vision list recently there was a discussion about the Alphasmart, which is basically a cut-down word processor that you can take anywhere, anytime.

I have to say, if I can get one second-hand, I'd definitely consider it. I love my Mac, but it would be nice to have something cheap that I could just lug around with me -- the electronic version of a notebook and pen, which is what I use at the moment.

Which serves it's purpose, but I find when there's a big gap between long-hand writing and transcribing, it can be a disincentive. And then there's the other issue of actually deciphering what I've written!